A growing number of states and local communities are refusing to accept lawn and garden waste materials in landfills. In the past, these materials have accounted for as much as 20% of the landfill contents.
Only a few municipalities provide for community pick-up and composting of lawn and garden waste materials. Thus a large number of homeowners are faced with the problem of how to dispose of these materials.
A number of devices are available which allow the homeowner to compost lawn and garden waste materials in the homeowner's own yard. Such materials will also compost when left in an open pile. However, open piles are not very practical for suburban yards since they occupy a large area, are unsightly, and frequently contain loose material that can be blown into adjacent areas.
The most popular do-it-yourself composting devices currently available are wire or plastic cages, plastic bins, and plastic or metal tumblers. Wire or plastic cages are relatively inexpensive. However, their openness allows too much moisture to escape, slowing or even stopping the composting process. Also, they are relatively difficult to fill with composting materials and empty after composting has taken place. Moreover, in time these cages themselves present a disposal problem.
Bins and tumblers present an acceptably neat appearance and provide a good environment for the composting process, but are relatively expensive. Also, because of their size, they are expensive to ship, difficult to store, and complicated for the homeowner to put together. Moreover, while the tumbler type device is effective for composting these materials in a relatively short period of time, it requires much more attention than most homeowners are willing to give.